FALCO. BIRDS. 187 



F. punctatus, Cuv. Plumage rufous above, with the head and neck 

 longitudinally striped with black ; back and wings spotted with 

 black ; seven black bands on the tail ; body beneath white, spotted 

 with black ; cere and legs yellowish ; bill bluish. Ten inches long. 

 Inhabits Isle of France Tern. PL Col. 45. 



F. femoralis, Tern. Plumage above ashy brown, red beneath, with 

 a black band above and behind the eye ; thighs red ; bill blue ; 

 cere yellow. About a foot long. Brazil Tern. PL Col. 121. 



F. severity, Horsneld. Plumage dusky brown-above, with the quills 

 black ; chestnut coloured-beneath, with the throat pale. Ten 

 inches and a half long. Inhabits Java Lin. Trans, xiii. 135. 



2. EAGLES. 



Bill strong, of considerable length, and hooked towards the ex- 

 tremity : legs strong, nervous, covered with feathers, or naked ; 

 toes robust, and armed with powerful and very crooked claws ; 

 wings long, the Jirst, second, and third feathers shorter than 

 the fourth and fifth. 



F. imperialis, Tern. The Imperial Eagle. Crown of the head 

 and occiput furnished with acuminate reddish feathers, edged 

 with bright red ; upper part of the body of a very dark glossy 

 brown above, of a very dusky brown beneath, with the exception 

 of the abdomen, which is yellowish red ; some of the scapulars 

 always pure white ; wings the length of the tail, which is al- 

 most square ; last joint of the middle toe with five scales 

 Shaw, vii. pi. 15. 



The Imperial Eagle is diffused over Hungary, Dalmatia, and Turkey, and is more 

 common in the eastern and southern parts of the world than in any other quarter, 

 abounding in Egypt and on the coast of Barbary ; but it is rare in the centre of 

 Europe. It inhabits the extensive forests of hilly countries, preying on stags, roe- 

 bucks, foxes, and other mammiferous animals, and often on large birds. The female 

 breeds in lofty trees or elevated rocks, and lays three or four eggs of a dirty white. 



Y.fulvus, Tern. (F. chrysaetos, Lin.) Ring-tail or Golden Eagle. 

 Crown of the head and neck with acuminate feathers of a bright 

 rufous and golden tinge ; all the other parts of the body of an 

 obscure brown, more or less blackish, according to age ; scapu- 

 lars never white ; three scales upon the last joint of all the toes. 

 Male about three feet long ; the female three feet and a-half ; 

 spread of the wings between seven and eight feet. Selby, Illust. 

 pi. 1. and 2. 



Aquila fulva, Meyer ; F. fulvus and F. Canadensis, GmeL ; F. chrysaetos, Lin. ; 

 1'Aigle Royal, Buff. ; 1'Aigle Commun, Cuv. ; King-tail and Golden Eagle, 

 Lath. .Var. F. albus, Gmel. ; F. cygneus, Lath. ; 1'Aigle Blanc, Briss. 

 The Golden Eagle inhabits the high mountain ranges of the north of Europe. It 

 is frequently found in Scotland, and preys on fawns, lambs, hares, and large birds. 

 It nestles on precipitous cliffs, and the female lays two eggs, rarely three, of a dir- 

 ty white, spotted with reddish. It soars to a prodigious height, and from this ele- 

 vation can discover its prey at an immense distance. It is extremely tenacious 

 of life, whence probably originated the eastern notion, that eagles possessed the 

 power of renewing their youth. Keysler alludes to an individual which lived 

 a hundred and four years at Vienna, though in a state of confinement. Nor is 

 it less remarkable for enduring abstinence, especially when deprived of exercise ; 



